Wednesday, April 30, 2008

McCain on Stem Cell Research

http://www.catholic.org/printer_friendly.php?id=26574&section=Cathcom

This article talks about how senator and presidential candidate John McCain is still a supporter of stem cell research. This is a very important issue in today society, and is a question mark for many people when there looking at McCain as a candidate for president. It gets very interesting when stem cell research and John McCain get brought up because McCain is one of the biggest supporters of pro life, specifically when it comes to the issue of abortion and so then when McCain says he is pro stem cell research, some people begin to question him and his views. McCain wants people who are thinking to vote for him solely based off of this issue to keep in mind that this was a very tough decision and it could go either way. This could end up being a problem for McCain because he could be looked like a John Kerry, where he is “flip-flopping” on some important issue, and this could be a reason for people to vote against him.

But back to the more important discussion based upon this article. I agree with McCain when he talks about stem cell research. I feel that it is really important within our society, and that it will lead to better health in our country. I really do not understand how people are against stem cell research, I understand that it’s dangerous but I mean there is so much upside. There are so many people that can benefit. I think that is kind of inhumane to not have stem cell research. The reasons why I feel so strongly is because I have a couple of friends that if stem cell research was allowed by the government then my friends would have been healthy. This is a very important topic, and I hope the McCain just doesn’t flip flop back and forth and then when it’s time to make a decision that he chooses the other side just because of the mood he is in.

McCain and the economy

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=what_is_mccains_economic_agenda

This article brings up a lot of John McCain’s weaknesses. McCain has admitted that economics is not his “strong suit” and yet he wants to change the government’s role in the economy by dramatically cutting non-defense spending. He also said that he is "so disgusted with the way my party is wasting money. It's an embarrassment." Bernstein writes that when McCain speaks about his economic decisions his body language becomes uncomfortable. When McCain is asked questions he does not always say what he supports on his web site, or when asked the same question from different interviewers he does not always respond the same. Don’t we want a president that strongly believes in what he/she thinks and therefore would answer the same when asked the same question by two different interviewers. Bernstein heard McCain speak of the alternate minimum tax, but his web site shows a different plan that regards to social security. Does this discrepancy carry over into all his politics or just when he talks about economic because it is not one of his strong suits and sells it that way. It is hard to picture that if there is a discrepancy does it carry over into his policy regarding the war. I think with our economy being in recession we need someone who really knows the ins and outs of economics to pull the United States up and be powerful again because we are losing our powerfulness we have on the world. Some critics have labeled McCain “McSame” because he is going to follow Bush’s way of dealing with economics and follow Bush’s agenda. McCain is not one that is strong with economic but is believed to want to change our economy out of his nice big heart, which would be a strong drive to change but will not ultimately change our economy.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Global Warming

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ6_xP58OlI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft8LfE7AI2w&feature=related

John McCain is in California in this video and talks about how he believes that he believes in global warming. He says that we need to start using technology that is going to be more green for the environment like nuclear energy. He brings up the point that if we are wrong that global warming is happening then with greener technology we have made the world a healthier planet anyways. But he brought up a great point in the fact that investing in green technology in America we will be taking money away from terrorists from the Middle East.

I also believe that the earth is warming. But I know my reasons in believing in global warming are different from most people today. I have these reasons because I have talked to my Dad about it a lot and my neighbor in Marycrest. My Dad has shown me charts before where the world has gone through periods of warming and cooling. I believe we are in a state where the earth is getting naturally warmer. I believe that a lot of media and some science researchers have started a frenzy about how we are polluting so much the earth has been getting warmer every year. One of my favorite things was hearing about Al Gore and the Inconvenient Truth and how he tells people something that they already know and he gets a peace prize for it. I think I am going to tell everyone that smoking is bad for them and show pictures of a smoker’s lungs and see if I could get a noble peace prize for that.

The second video I have posted is with Glenn Beck and a man named Coleman who is the founder of the Weather Channel. They also hold the same believes that I do. Coleman was outraged by all the talk in the media and he wrote a blog about how scientists who go against global warming do not get put in the media today. He also says that the evidence shows that the earth has gone through cycles of warming and cooling and that is natural process. I agree with him that the media has taken this subject overboard. I feel that with this topic they have found a way to draw readers in and scientists who change some of the data to make it seem like humans are changing global warming are receiving research money or grants to make up falsehoods.

But I am going to stick with the Coleman a founder of the weather channel because it is one of the most notable sources on weather today. So I do not agree on McCain on his issue of Global warming and I feel that he might be saying this just to get votes and take a stance that wont raise to many eyebrows of the media.

McCain on Free Trade

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-04-21-mccainsouth_N.htm

A recap of Senator John McCain’s view on free trade and its benefits can be reviewed in USA today, written by David Jackson. McCain claims that “Protectionism devastates the economy.” Additionally he says that “When new trading partners can sell in our market, and American companies can sell in theirs, the gains are great and they are lasting.” The benefits out way the negatives and we cannot become isolationists.
McCain’s doesn’t plan to just sit by and watch American jobs go over sea; he stresses the importance to outperform the competition. McCain discussed the steel company in Youngstown Ohio, and how we as the people need to come up with innovative ways to increase prosperity, especially areas that have been despondently left behind in the rapidly changing global economy.
On the hand other the Democratic Party takes a completely different stance. The democrats feel that it is too easy for employers to move jobs oversea, which we can see taking place in the industrial jobs. In addition both candidates of the Democratic Party support the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico. Who is right you be the judge?
I agree with McCain, even though many jobs may seem or even be at risk because of free trade, history proves when we take and isolationist stance our economy drastically drops. I think it is important to have a free trade based economy, and we must work towards keeping industrial jobs on American soil.

Monday, April 28, 2008

McCain's Economist

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/business/23leonhardt.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=McCain%20Economist&st=nyt

Douglas Holtz-Eakin took as the director of the Congressional Budget Office in 2003, and left in 2005 on a very good note, being said that he was “an exemplary leader,” by Senator Conrad. Now Holtz- Eakin is the top economic advisor of John McCain’s campaign. His academic work focused observed the effect of taxes. He is fifty years old, which is nearly ten years older than the average economic advisors for presidential campaigns. McCain and Holtz- Eakin met during the 2000 presidential election and automatically their personalities clicked. “Both of them are economic conservatives who focus more on the need to restrain government spending than on the social good it may accomplish.” And when Holtz- Eakin claimed that he is getting too old for this job, John McCain told him that he “can’t say that,” considering McCain himself is 71 years old. Holtz- Eakin started using dynamic analysis as it should be used and was underestimated by both parties, but it ended up working out, because tax rates really do change people’s behavior.
I think that McCain made the right decision having Holtz-Eakin as his economic advisor. They both get along great and they agree on spending being the chief long-term problem. Holtz- Eakin believes that we cannot just use taxes to solve this problem, because it is much bigger than that. The spending will continue and adding taxes will just be more costly and not help the spending problem. Federal taxes right now add up to about 19%, which is pretty average throughout the years. But due to Medicare and Medicaid, the taxes will have to rise to an uncontrollable amount of 30% and higher in the future. That is absolutely absurd if we did that, because it is not possible to just use taxes to fix everything. Holtz- Eakin seems as though he has a good plan and I think he has a good plan for our countries economics.

Friday, April 25, 2008

A turning point on global warming

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/02/13/the_turning_point_on_global_warming/

Global warming is a very serious issue now more than ever. Global warming is happening, it is evident, and humans are causing it. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the greenhouse gases that are released by humans during normal activities accounts for 90 percent of the observed damages. Global warming can also be blamed for the threatening of the polar bear species. Global warming is a serious issue that needs to be confronted.

Our actions taken in the next few years are very crucial. Global warming is very serious and steps need to be taken to remedy the problem immediately. If we fail to take action and start reducing greenhouse emissions soon we could be risking the future of America.

As the climate gets warmer tropical ecosystems are expanding. This expansion could introduce new diseases. The warmer climate and hotter air will increase the pollution. Those with asthma will be at a greater risk because of increased pollution.

To remedy the problem John McCain along with Joe Lieberman have proposed the Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act. This would harness the power of the free market and the engine of American innovation to reduce the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. If put into action soon enough hopefully the Act will be able to change the path that global warming is taking.

McCain believes that we can no longer afford to ignore the issue of global warming. America has been blessed with a wonderful environment. McCain is committed to clean air, water, and protecting our environment. Through the Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act, McCain is standing by his views on global warming.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

McCain on Gun Control

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2007-04-19-mccain_N.htm

The Second Amendment “the right of people to keep and bear arms” continues to be a controversial topic to this day. Senator John McCain believes in upholding the Second Amendment to the fullest. During McCain’s speech in Summerville, South Carolina he states “I do not believe we should tamper with the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States.” I strongly agree with McCain, The Constitution created by our forefathers has worked for many years; and in this particular controversy we need tighter restriction on the criminals rather than on guns.
McCain realizes that guns are dangerous and there is a problem with gun control in America today, and acknowledges that something must be done about it. In his speech he proposes that we need to make guns harder to buy, especially for individuals who need help. He briefly touches on the sensitive topic of school shootings, and how it should be harder for these individuals to obtain any type of weapon.
Halfway through the article McCain talks about a person’s criminal record. The Senator gives an excellent example of a killer, which is a creepy young man accused of stocking and sending violent schoolwork to his teacher. In addition he has been sent to a mental hospital, and is on the verge of suicide, but is able to go into a sporting goods store and buy a gun just because he did not have a criminal record. He addresses this as an issue that needs attention; it should not be so easy for this man to get a gun.
I concur with everything that Senator John McCain has to say about gun control. The dangerous individuals that buy or illegally use guns create an unsafe environment for the rest of the law abiding citizens. If McCain is elected President he would implement stricter federal regulations but people would still have the right to bear arms.

McCain on the Death Penalty

http://glassbooth.org/explore/index/john-mccain/10/crime-and-punishment/3/
This article talks about where John McCain stands on crime and what type of punishments should be given for those crimes. The one crime and punishment that I would like to talk about here in this blog forum, is the very important issue which is the death penalty. John McCain is a strong supporter of the death penalty, at both the state and federal level. Also, McCain supports “a more broaden use of the death penalty: -Impose stricter penalties for violent felons -Increase spending to build more federal prisons -Impose "truth in sentencing" for violent criminals so they serve full sentences -Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.” This is a very controversial issue, and one that will be debated in the upcoming election, and I am not quite sure where I stand on this issue but at this moment right now I am on the same side as McCain. The reason why is because if you kill someone, I believe that you should be sentenced to death, so basically I’m taking the stance or the side that talks about “A Life for A Life”. But then again, I think only in certain circumstances that someone should be given the death penalty, it should not be given for a robbery, or if someone is caught dealing drugs, because those are certain crimes that are not deserving of ending their life. But then also I’m a big supporter of giving people another change, because I have been given second changes in my life, and who I am to say that other people should not be given that second chance that was granted to me. So finally in terms of the death penalty, I do not think that the death penalty should be given at the state or federal level but more at the individual level, and that you should take ever person different when evaluating if they should be given the death penalty.

McCain and gun control

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2007-04-19-mccain_N.htm
The 2008 presidential candidate, John McCain, said a very shocking thing that he believes in “no gun control.” This is the strongest affirmation to support gun control since the massacre at Virginia Tech. This is shocking considering all those lives that were lots in Virginia Tech and all of the other school shootings that could have been prevented if there were sharper gun owner rights. If we made it harder to register and aquire a gun, then fewer unwanted shootings would happen, and especially in schools and churches were many innocent children get killed. By just saying that gun owners should lock their guns in their homes, which was McCain’s take on the issue at first, is a cop out for the greater issue that there needs to be harsher restrictions for purchasing a gun. McCain has recently changed his position from gun owners should keep their guns locked up to there should be no gun control because that would violate the second amendment to the Constitution that states we have the right to bear arms. I believe that we can satisfy the second amendment and keep children safe at schools, if we think smartly about the issue.
If we made the registration for a gun a long process, then this would satisfy both situations because no one would be able easily purchase a gun. We do not want to make gun control too harsh and punishing because then it will result in a underground mophia-type dealing. Like when the United States banded all alcohol in the prohibition. It turned into an underground criminal act. This is why the prohibition was then taken back because it became a larger mess than we all wanted to deal with. I think the politians can find a “happy medium” that could satisfy a majority of people. McCain’s position on gun control is very shocking because usually someone is not at the very extreme of the spectrum, and if he wants to get votes out of that comment, he is not going to get very main because lots of people were affected by the massacres that are continually happening in schools around the US.

McCain's Stance on Gun Control

http://www.gunowners.org/pres08/mccain.htm

After reading this article my view on John McCain has greatly changed. McCain the Republican canidate for president in 2008 has had numerous positions on the issue of gun control. The first time McCain was running for President in 2000 he faced an opponent who was for posession of guns in George W. Bush. At the time McCain was for Gun Control and believed that individuals needed to keep there guns locked up at home and away from America's streets. In this argument he tried to help persuade the public opinion by appearing in comercial before the movie Pearl Harbor appearded on big screens. Doing this he garnered some attention and some votes but in the end lost to George W. Bush, who became the Republican canidate and eventually became president of the United States. Now 8 years later, McCain's stance has changed and this is upsetting to myself, I believe he needs to stick to what he believed in the first time around. He now supports individuals possesing guns and no longer is an individual who wants gun control. I feel though it is important for Gun Control to be implemented for the simple facts that without it, America's kids can get their hands on guns without an issue. With the recent deaths at Va. Tech and highschools all across America McCain is making a big mistake by not sticking to his "GUNS' and trying to bring about Gun Control

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Earth's Cry for Help

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/17/us/politics/17climate.html?scp=1&sq=McCain+and+global+warming&st=nyt

The article above describes how there is now no question about the actuality of global warming. It has become an obvious fact that it is a real issue our earth is now facing. As the clock keeps ticking, the effects of global warming are worsening and becoming more apparent. The earth is in our hands and more importantly, in the hands of powerful leaders. Presidents and other forms of leaders have the power to influence their people on making decisions that are healthy for our planet. They can urge laws to be passed that would aid in this growing problem. Because of their power and ability to solve this predicament, it is important to choose a president who is truly aware, concerned, and focused on global warming. The article states that John McCain has called for closing the lid on gas emissions that are producing more carbon dioxide. Other republicans are instead focused on looking for other sources of energy. I believe that a president needs to be focused on both of these issues. It is important to stop the large amounts of carbon dioxide escaping into our atmosphere so global warming does not continue to get worse but it is also important to look for other energy sources that do not emit this green house gas. This would solve the debate on what needs to be done about global warming. This topic has become an issue many republicans are now addressing since the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the past Democrat presidential candidate Al Gore. McCain certainly is aware of the emissions that our warming our planet. The article says that he recently pledged to demand higher fuel standards from car companies. He also promised to have our country join the international climate treaty. In one of the quotes that are provided, McCain states that he is aware that if we do not reverse this trend we are leaving the world in a terrible condition for future generations to fix. Because of this deep belief he has proposed two bills that have both been shot down. His growing concern and ability to not give up on the issue are reasons why I think McCain would be a good leader for our country in helping us to reduce the effects of global warming.

McCain Digging A Deeper Hole

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/opinion/20sun2.html

First McCain was opposed to Bush tax-cuts and now he is doing the complete opposite and wants to permanently extend taxes. Other proposals made by McCain are seriously defective. They are not well thought out or well planned, making him not very liked right now. In order for McCain to be taken seriously by voters, he needs to go back and devise a plan that will show he can govern the money without making the debt worsen. McCain’s efforts have shown that he is not very knowledgeable in economics; in fact he “has admitted that he does not know a lot about economics.”
I think McCain is not helping his campaign by making all of these comments that are digging him deeper into holes. I do not doubt that McCain will try to cut spending, but right now he is trying to close loopholes that are just not realistic. If McCain came up with a solid plan that he is very confident will work, then I think it would be a lot more comforting than for him to keep making proposals that are not realistic.

John McCain and Abortion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Trbaufpok8

This video has a clip of John McCain and he is discussing his beliefs on abortion in the video. He says that he doesn’t want to rush ending the abortion process because that means there would be a lot of women going out the next day to have illegal abortions which would be dangerous. He also says that he hopes that Roe versus Wade gets appealed but it needs to be in timely manner. He says that he has voted for pro-life issues the last 17 years. He also says that as a Republican party we want to see the end of abortion it just differs on the time we take to end it.

I am a firm believer in pro-life. I just see no reason to have to end a potential baby’s life. There are many ways around it. Adoption is one of the choices. My sister Anna was adopted from China almost two years ago. She is going to be four in September. I know from first hand that a lot of people want to adopt children and they have to go on a long wait process in order for an agency to find them a child. If more people who were going to abort just gave their child up for adoption these parents would not have to wait 2 years for a child.

There are agencies out there today that will help teens who are pregnant because the last thing they want that teen to do is abort that potential child. I have heard many stances on this from friends and other students. Pro-choice people say that its there fetus or tissue and they don’t want others having it. So they are going to kill than letting have some family that would take great care of that potential child. It doesn’t make much sense to me. One reason I am a firm believer in pro-life is the fact that the couple chose to have sex and they knew what could happen if they did and they have to take responsibility for their actions.

I agree with John McCain that abortion needs to be eliminated but it needs to be done in timely manner. However, I really do not know how strong of believer McCain is on Pro-life because I have heard and read from multiple sources that he has some pro-choice views. I am hoping this is not true and that he is a firm believer in pro-life like myself.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

McCain and His View on Gun Control

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B02E2DB1F3DF936A35753C1A9669C8B63&scp=1&sq=John+McCain+and+gun+control&st=nyt


Gun control is an issue that has long been debated over by many people and politics. This article talks about how people who are for gun control have recently become excited over the new commercial John McCain has produced about this issue. In the commercial, John McCain proposes that people who buy guns at gun shows should undergo a background check. He continues to say that because of this loophole, criminals have been able to easily purchase weapons. Research has shown that these weapons that were bought so easily have been utilized in numerous crimes. This commercial has been played in states such as Colorado and Oregon, where this idea needs to be stressed more to the public. Unprecedented laws and uncompromising enforcement of existing laws needs to be accomplished. McCain believes that people do have the right to own weapons “but with rights comes responsibility.” McCain’s belief has been influenced like many, from the incident that occurred at Columbine. One of the weapons used in this tragedy was bought at a gun show.

I believe that it is absolutely necessary to have background checks at gun shows to ensure the future safety of our country. It surprised me to learn that there currently are no regulations existing at gun shows. McCain obviously is concerned about this issue. He has proven this through his many speeches and his involvement with the National Rifle Association. Doing background checks would help decrease naturally the amount of deadly shootings such as the incident as Columbine. With more criteria to meet it would be much more of a struggle to purchase a weapon. Employers need to know what the customer’s true intentions are in buying a weapon. I agree with McCain when he claimed, “I believe law-abiding citizens have the right to own guns. But with rights comes responsibility.” I think that everyone does have a right to defend themselves but we need to formulate a criterion that needs to be met when purchasing guns to help decrease the number of unnecessary deaths.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

McCain and No Gun Control

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2007-04-19-mccain_N.htm

This article from USA Today focuses on John McCain and his views on gun control. McCain supports the Second Amendment of the Constitution. McCain says, "I do not believe we should tamper with the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States.” I agree with McCain. I also support the Second Amendment and believe that it should be preserved, which means no gun control.

John McCain believes that it is a fundamental right for citizens to keep and bear arms. It is one of our Constitutional rights and we have a duty to protect it. This means that we should not have gun control. McCain says, “We have a responsibility to ensure that criminals who violate the law are prosecuted to the fullest, rather than restricting the rights of law abiding citizens.” Law abiding citizens should not be asked to give up their rights because of criminals.

The Constitution was established for the citizens of the United States of America. And the Second Amendment of the Constitution gives us the right to bear arms. This right should not be compromised by the government. Even though there are criminals who violate and abuse their privileges, their mistakes should not have an effect on the rest of the population. Instead of confiscating the rights of all citizens McCain supports criminal background checks. Background checks help prohibit criminals from buying firearms. McCain has voted to ensure they are conducted efficiently. And when they are conducted they won’t have any effect on the right of law abiding citizens.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

McCain on Immigration

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8WNuoKxr3w
In this video Senator John McCain discusses illegal immigration and what he proposes to do as President. McCain says that he will secure all American boarders; he will also have the Boarder State Governor certify that they are secured. He voices concern with illegal immigration from all countries, but primarily focuses his energy on Mexico. McCain states that a few years ago the US gave amnesty to two million people, and then did not secure the boarder causing a recent influx of 12 million illegal immigrants today.
McCain proposes several ways to fix the current problem of illegal immigration. First off the US would send back all recent illegal immigrants to their native countries. Secondly, Immigrants that have been in the US longer would go through a touchback system. Touchback would require the illegal immigrants be deported to the country they are originally from and certify that they have not committed any type of crimes through a background check. For reentry they would get in line behind other trying to enter the US legally. McCain says they deserve no special treatment to get back into the US since they broke the law. These people would have to reenter through the naturalization process; learn the English language, know the Constitution, and take the naturalization exam. I believe this is both fair to American citizens and actually fair to those that entered illegally.
On the flip side it is easy for one to call McCain evil for what he is trying to accomplish with immigration. But is McCain really evil, he believes it is a sensitive situation. Additionally he does not want to send back elderly 80 year old people that have lived in the US for 60 plus years and have families here. But believes all others that have broken the law need to understand they will not be rewarded and allowed to stay.
I agree with McCain’s speech in general on immigration and agree that immigrants should have to go through a naturalization process. I also believe that this will help to ensure safety for the American people. It is time we had a President that took a firm stand and held to it.

McCain's Foreign Policy

After reading about presidential candidate John McCain’s Foreign Policy on the International Herald Tribune website, there are numerous feelings about which I disagree with the points he is trying to get across. First I disagree with the point that McCain makes about the United States not having enough troops deployed to Iraq, and his feelings about a counter insurgence having to be made. This belief was while McCain was still a Senator, and I feel that this policy is incorrect, I feel that we deployed more than enough troops just that it did not work and its time to pull our troops out. McCain recently gave a speech about how his feelings about governments are starting to shift from Democracies to Autocracies, I disagree with this stance due to the number of democracies which still exist and for the simple fact that people all over the world still want to live in democracies and want to be free to choose. A point which I do actually agree with McCain is his feelings about how to deal with a nation that does not treat their citizens the right way. McCain feels that a country can be judged by the way their government treats their people; I can fully understand this point especially in today’s society.

McCain and Iraq

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20061217/ai_n16898156/print


McCain is put into a situation where he will have to choose between abandoning his current recommendation on the war with Iraq or abandon his moral judgments that is the basis of his recommendation. McCain has said in the past that the US policy on Iraq should increase the number of US troops in Iraq in order to defeat them instead of the opposite happening and the US being defeated. Now McCain believes that his previous statement would be immoral because the projects in Iraq had gone from failure to further failure; nothing is being accomplished and this would not be good news to the troops. Therefore, McCain knows that sending more troops over to Iraq would be immoral. Some people are viewing him harder because he is changing his mind on how he feels about the war, but I think it is smart because he is reevaluating the way the war in changing.
The argument Will presents to try and make Romney, who is another possible nominee for the 2008 republican president vote, seem contradictory was weak because it did not follow the rest of the article. The paragraphs right before Will introduces Romney, he is talking about McCain’s opinion on the troubles that the US is having in Iraq. And then to compare them to each other, Will uses Romney’s opinion on gay rights. This is like comparing apples to oranges; there is no connection and cannot then say one is better than the other. One must compare apples to apples if one wants to make a strong argument, either for or against someone. Will starts out his article talking about McCain’s foreign policy and then just switches to talking about both McCain’s and Romney’s views on same-sex marriage and rights that each state can have on the issue. For a conclusion in the article, Will comes back to McCain and Iraq, which could leave the reader confused as to what exactly he is comparing: the two republican nominees, or social and foreign policy in the US.

McCain on Foreign Policy

http://www.cfr.org/publication/14336/john_mccains_speech_on_foreign_policy.html

This article which is John McCain’s speech on his stance of Foreign Policy. There are a couple of things that I would like to address here. The first thing that I would like to talk about is John McCain’s stance of the war in Iraq. This is a very important issue in the upcoming election and it could be the deciding factor if in-fact John McCain does get elected or if Barack Obama or Hilary Clinton gets the nomination as president. McCain stated in his speech that as president, he would bring the U.S Army and Marines forces from the currently planned level of roughly 750,000 troops to an even more amount to 900,000. I agree with McCain on a lot of his issues but this one issue I strongly disagree with him. I feel that with McCain’s current plan that there is no possible way of getting that many troops without having some sort of draft, and that if there was to be a draft that someone such as me would be someone going to the Middle East and quite frankly that scares me to death. This might be an issue that swings a lot of voters away from McCain and especially young voters because they don’t want to vote for someone who might but in a draft in which they would have to serve.

Also, I think that McCain’s history as being a solider for this country has a very big impact on his views. I get the idea that McCain thinks that a good amount of young men and women want to serve for this country and I don’t think that is very true. I believe most young men and women are more concerned with completing their college education than about serving in the military.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

McCain's 100 Year Problem

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2008/04/09/mccain_100/index.html

John McCain has made comments more than once referring to having U.S. troops in Iraq for the next century. These comments are nearly only sending the Republican Party into a frenzy. I disagree with McCain on this view, because I do not believe that the U.S. troops should be present in Iraq for the next 100 years. That is way too long and this war needs to come to end sooner than later and promising to have the troops there for a century makes people turn their votes away from McCain.
John McCain is only digging himself into a deeper hole, making the Republican Party look bad. This chaos he is causing is making it hard for the Republicans to dig him out of this mess, because he has same it a few times. Most of the people say his words are “distorted,” but he cannot mess up a statement more than once. I completely disagree with McCain and his beliefs for the U.S. troops in Iraq. With this statement, McCain is ruining his campaign all on his own, which is absolutely awful for his votes.

Immigration

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21614851/

This article talks about John McCain and how he is switching views on immigration. In the beginning of the election he talked about a temporary worker program for the immigrants here. He believed that eventually there would be a path to citizenship for all the illegal immigrants. But now he changed his stance to that we need to secure the borders before we do anything. He had a lot of opposition to his views on immigration and it hurt him a lot in the voting of some early primary states.

I really do not know what to think about this issue on immigration. I know there are a lot of negatives when we have immigrants here in the country. But also they do a lot of jobs here that most Americans would not want to do. I also know that all of our ancestors were immigrants at some point unless our ancestors were Native Americans. But most Republicans do not agree with letting the immigrants off the hook. However I am not a typical Republican.

My personal believe on immigration is that the immigrants wanted to come over here because it was a better place. They had dreams and they felt that this was the place that they could accomplish them. I understand that they did not follow the rules and process of immigrating the right way. This is one of the biggest reasons Republicans want immigrants to go back. I believe the immigrants did not go through process of immigration the right way because it would have taken way to long. The wait list from Mexico to here would have been extremely long. I would guess some one that wanted to come over would have to wait multiple years. Another thing is that the immigrants would have to probably pay a pretty large fee to go through the immigration process. They probably could not afford to go through the immigration process.

I would have to agree with John McCain stance on immigration. The first thing we have to do is secure the borders. But I feel we need to let the immigrants here to have a chance to become citizens.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

The Connection Between McCain's Vietnam Experience and his Views on Iraq

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/04/01/mccain/index.html

This article explains presidential candidate John McCain’s views on the war in Iraq. His opinion of the war is greatly influenced by his experience in the Vietnam War. He illustrated that because of his familiarity with the situation that occurred in Vietnam, it is necessary for the United States to position troops in Iraq for a significant amount of time to ensure the peace in the area. McCain recognizes that continuing to have troops sent over to Iraq costs money, but in the end it is worth the expense to avoid a war that could be more costly and deadly. I believe that John McCain has a right to view war in this way. Through his experience, he has witnessed how devastating world conflicts can be and the long term effects they have on both sides of the argument. Everyone has different opinions on issues. These are derived from our various backgrounds and the knowledge we possess on particular subjects that not everyone has acquired. There are many factors that can change one’s view on a matter. Partaking in war can certainly change a person’s view on the issue because they can now speak from experience.

The article begins to criticize McCain’s “Vietnam obsession.” They claim that he has become repetitive in stating the need to avoid the mistakes that were made in Vietnam. It seems that Vietnam is his only argumentation he has to support his beliefs on war. I personally believe that John McCain, although this may be his only rationality, has an acceptable reason to support his disapproval of war. McCain realizes that history often repeats itself and that the world needs to prevent this endless cycle of wars that have already been fought a hundred times.

I greatly admire John McCain for stating that he could possibly have the United States stay in Iraq for a hundred years if needed. This was a risky statement because many may now be reconsidering voting for him. What people need to be aware of is John McCain’s great compassion he possesses for not only his people, but the people around the world. He is putting as much effort in preventing the detrimental effects of war. If our nation desires a president that is genuinely concerned for the world’s future, then we need to closer examine the candidate’s true intentions.

McCain refuses to rule out option of pre-emptive war

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/04/09/mccain-refuses-to-rule-out-option-of-pre-emptive-war/


In response to the article by the associate press, I am in support of John Mccain’s answer to the pre-emptive war question. The pre-emptive war term was brought up by the Bush doctrine. It was used to describe Bush’s decision to invade Iraq without it actually having attacked the United States. I am in support of the pre-emptive war policy. If someone is going to dangle threats in our face without physically attacking us, I think it is to the best knowledge that our government takes action to protect us.

McCain is in support of keeping the troops in Iraq. He believes the Bush strategy can succeed. If the United States backs out of Iraq now there could possibly be greater risks and problems in the future. If we fail to get Iraq under control the threat of terrorism against Americans will continue to grow.

McCain believes that we cannot make a blanket statement about a topic as important as the security of our country. The topic of pre-emptive war and the decision to invade depends on the threat the United States is facing. If someone is about to harm the United States or seriously considering it, the government would have to act immediately in defense of the nation’s national security interests. If we don’t protect the interest of our country we will be a greater risk once the attack has occurred.

I believe that you have to permit special cases for certain scenarios; one of these scenarios being Iraq. You have to be able to make exceptions. If some outside force is posing a threat to the United States and after much debate it deems to be a likely threat, I would hope the government would be able to step in and take action. I agree with McCain’s answer to the pre-emptive war question.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

John McCain on Education

Tim Crawley
Professor Purdy
English 102
9 April 2008
John McCain on Education
After reading the article online about John McCain positions on education, my feelings towards him have certainly changed. Being a Republican, I was a big fan of John McCain but being a student I do not agree with some of his stances he holds. I disagree with his stance that he believes that teaching about creation should be left up to the school districts, I believe that it should be left to the school and not those who monitor the school. I also disagree with McCain’s feelings about being against nationally imposed standards and funding, I feel that it should be different depending on the school and the state. I do agree with one aspect of McCain’s positions, and that is that virtues should be taught to America’s youth for there betterment. I do not agree with his standings that good teachers deserve more than a bad lawyer, I feel that it is very difficult to decide who is a good teacher and who is a bad lawyer, there is to must difference between deciding the two. I believe that unqualified teachers should not be helped when trying to find work like McCain believes, I feel that teachers can find their own work on their own.
As you can see my views are very different from a regular Republican I disagree with many views of possibly the future president and the Republican nomination.

http://www.ontheissues.org/john_mccain.htm

McCain on Social Issues

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttg9XWqcpS0

This video is when Senator John McCain answers questions on social issues from Opinion Page Editor Guy R. MacMillin during a Keene Sentinel Editorial Board interview which takes place on December 3rd, 2007. The Sentinel is a newspaper which is located in New Hampshire.

In the first part of the video the editor asks presidential candidate John McCain on his opinion on one of the most important issues that might as very well decide the upcoming election and that topic is abortion. McCain starts off by saying that he would not criminalize abortion. He gives an example that he would not put a young woman into jail because she decided to have an abortion, but he does state that he would not agree with this young ladies discussion, and McCain believes that life begins at conception and therefore if a young women decided to have an abortion that they are killing a young life. I agree here with McCain because you shouldn’t punish a young woman with jail time when they decided to have an abortion because you don’t know the circumstances of her abortion. You don’t know if she could raise a child with her economic status or if she was raped and she really didn’t want to have a child, or maybe there is no father figure with this future child. McCain also talks about how a young woman can still have the baby and then just not be the mother, if she so chooses to do. He gives options such as putting the baby up for adoption and things along those lines. I agree with McCain here because if someone doesn’t want to have a child they shouldn’t be forced to. Also, this couple should be allowed to give away their child if they feel that there child would have a better life in someone’s hands.

McCain and Education

An article posted by Kent Erdahl summarizes what John McCain has to say about education, and what he proposes to do to fix the current education problem. On Friday McCain gave a speech in the little town of Rock Rapids on education. McCain spoke mostly about fixing the K thru 12 education system. He understands that more money needs to be spent on education and the problem cannot be put off any longer. Although he cautions, that more money spent needs to be spent wisely because it is our tax money. McCain is on the right track in my book, America as a whole is falling behind in academics, particularly in math and science which need revamped.
During his speech he also discusses the issue of school vouchers. Vouchers provide parents with the money the public school in their district would cost to attend; and allows them to spend it elsewhere, such as a private school. In my opinion this is a good idea because it gives families that extra money to send their children to private schools that otherwise they could not afford. The controversy in the past is that vouchers are racially unfair or skimming the top students off. I feel that this is untrue; vouchers would make public schools better in the long run. Making schools compete for your money, giving children the best possible education.
Furthermore McCain talks about the “No Child Left Behind” act. He supports that act as a whole and says we should not discard it, but rather fix it. In my view the act right now is mediocre, and could possibly get better with the support of McCain. The belief that every school should have fully qualified teachers in order to receive federal funding insures the best teachers for all students. Moreover the state testing allows a fair analysis of which schools are not on the right track.
I felt like John McCain knew what he was talking about, and was not on the fence about any of his issues. That is what we need to get things moving in Washington. Overall I think Senator John McCain is a very strong willed person and could turn around education in America.

McCain views on social issues

Rick Santorum has known John McCain for almost two decades and he writes this article after attending the Council for National Policy meeting, which took place in New Orleans, to show that McCain must make adjustments to change previous standards not just because of different politics, but from new facts. Santorum says that McCain is stubborn and everything he does involves honor and integrity. McCain wanted this speech to be a chance to “not just unite, but reignite the base." But Santorum uses metaphor when he talks about how the crowd’s thoughts of McCain’s speech. He said McCain’s speech was “hard to ignite anything with cold water and no fire.” McCain’s speech in New Orleans addressed spending taxes and national security, but when asked about social issues, he failed to connect to the people who care about why you vote instead of how you vote. One thing that works well in Santorum’s argument is that he gives examples either from McCain’s speech or from personal experience with McCain. One thing that does not work well in Santorum’s argument is that he jumps from one topic to another topic and one does not know where he is leading to next. This causes the reader to feel slightly lost and confused while reading this article. Santorum commits the logical fallacy of hasty generalizations when he generalizes that all conservatives feel the same way on McCain’s issues, but in reality there are many different degrees at which a conservative could agree. One could agree with him on one issue, but then not agree on another issue. He does not always do this because at the beginning of his article he covers himself by saying that a vast majority of conservatives, instead of just saying all conservatives he eliminates this logical fallacy.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

McCain's Education Campaign

http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy-um.researchport.umd.edu/ehost/detail?vid=5&hid=21&sid=6d42ce2a-18db-48a5-9c59-cc98b0d94865%40sessionmgr2

In Education Week, David Hoff discusses Senator McCain’s plan for education if he were to become the President. Education does not stand at the forefront of his campaign. In fact it is buried deep within his webpage. But once accessed it discusses the importance of choice, accountability, and teacher quality. He finds it very important to hold schools accountable for the results that they produce. After all he sees it as their job to provide a proper education to students. McCain also wants to rewards character-building teachers. These all seem like good ideas but he struggles to turn them into actual policy. McCain is more known for prioritizing defense and federal spending. This summarizes some public opinion of him, "I don't think he has a strong track record of putting education at the top of his priorities, said Frank Davidson, the superintendent of the 8,000-student Casa Grande Elementary School District in Casa Grande, Ariz.” The choices he has made to date show that he wants the federal government to have a limited role in K-12, but he does support special education with dollars. He sees choice, charter, and home school as providing necessary competition to make the school system as a whole successful.
I found this article to be very clear and organized, yet I was disappointed with what it had to say. I will admit that I am a John McCain supporter, but after reading this I worry that he may be too conservative on the issue of education. I find education and healthcare to be the two most important issues and he has put them on the back burner. Healthcare and education take place on our home soil and affect the present and the hopes of our future. I respect that he is putting forth dollars towards special education, but as Mr. Davidson suggests, he is not valuing education and the bright futures of young Americans enough.

McCain and education

http://youtube.com/watch?v=HXUar_RQ0JU

John McCain in the video talks about how he is going to solve the education problem in today’s society. He talks about improving the child left behind act. He answers critics to the no child left behind act by telling them to look at education of students before the act and then look at education after. He says that it clearly has made progress. He talks about how we need to improve the grade schools and high schools and make sure every person has an equal chance at a good education. He brings up the point that he wants to make a good education affordable to everyone. He says a good education today is not affordable and he wants people to have the opportunity to have a good education. He wants engineers and math students to have help. He wants to give more benefits to the engineer students and the math students because we need them the most.
There were some things I agree with and disagree with the video. I agree that we should be able to make a good education affordable and available to anyone who wants it. We need to improve schools especially in the inner city. I believe in the no child left behind act but I believe it needs a lot of improvement. I disagree with the fact that engineer and math students need to have incentives because we need them the most. I really think that is unfair to give things to some students and not to others. I think anyone going to schools should be given an incentive because that is what the world needs today. Anyone who goes to school is trying to improve themselves and the world around them. Why would one group of students get incentives over other students who are trying to do the same thing?
Overall, I really liked the video and it sounded like McCain knew what he was talking about. There are times when I disagree with McCain but on an overall scale I think we share the same views and ideals. I agree that education needs to be a major concern because I find it unfair that some people cannot get a good education at an affordable price. I think education that everyone has an equal right to.

Monday, April 7, 2008

How Much of a Role Should the Government Have?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spRXuZ7plHQ


As an early childhood education major, I closely listened to presidential candidate John McCain’s response to the question on how much of a role the federal government should have in elementary and secondary education. He directly answered this question by stating that the federal government’s role in education should not be very substantial since most of the funding comes from state and local sources. The government should take a role in education but not an overbearing one. If the government took complete control over the nation’s education, what would happen with catholic schools? Also, if they had more authority they could possibly choose to have a standard curriculum that must be followed in every school. This would allow no freedom to choose what courses you wanted offered at your school that would make it unique and stand apart from others. Competition would be eliminated, possibly causing a fall in the nation’s academic levels. McCain firmly expressed his belief in the need for competition between schools throughout the country when he discussed charter schools. Without the competition, schools would not strive to raise their standards and expectations. Competition is the key to raising academic performances in schools all across the United States.

John McCain discusses in the video his approval of the No Child Left Behind Act. I believe that the government was right in taking an action to improve our nation’s standards in education but I don’t necessarily agree with the NCLB. The NCLB has caused teachers to only focus on the material that kids will be tested on. Teachers often do this because of the blame that is put on them and their school if test scores are not up to standard. Because of this, educators often have little room to teach other interesting material that may appeal more to children. McCain claims that it is time to hold teachers, states, and schools accountable for test scores. Personally, I believe there is only so much one can do as an educator. Some students are just simply poor test takers. Standardized tests have been proven to not be the best and most accurate way in measuring a child’s learning abilities.

At the end of this video, it is evident that McCain believes we as a nation need to be more focused on what is being taught in the classroom. We need to try to direct as much attention as we can to raising the standards at a steady pace without creating pressure among teachers to stick to educating students just on test material. If there is no improvement over the next few years, we may possibly fall behind other countries in our education system.

It Is More Serious Than A Cut

http://www.scoop08.com/node?q=/node/393


One of the major problems facing this presidential election is the topic of our American Health Care System. Unfortunately this is a major problem and unfortunately not much is being done to fix it. Regarding Jason Pyles critique of the Moore films, I agree with him. Moore documentary of international health care gives us reason to believe that the international heath care system is in just about every way superior to ours.

Our health care system in American has many problems today. I believe that these problems are large in scope and there is no immediate remedy for them. Each of the candidates has a different remedy or solution for solving the problem. McCain hopes to harness market comprehensive reform along with preserving the quality of health care by individual responsibility. McCain suggests giving individuals $2500 refundable tax credit for health care. He says we need to control health costs so manufacturers stay competitive. McCain believes in no mandated universal system or insurance coverage. He thinks we should be able to re-import drugs from Canada.

Even the Republican candidate, McCain, solution to the problem is not what is needed in this late in the race. McCain declares the main source of the problem as the rapidly rising costs of US health care system. He wants to save Medicare and Medicaid along with protecting the health care benefits for the retiree. Even McCain is not offering the solution to the large scale problem.

The solution to this problem is a universal health care system. Monroe says that one out of nearly 50 million Americans will not have health insurance this year. And out of those 50 million, 18,000 Americans will die because they are uninsured. These numbers aren’t matching up. One of Moore’s documentaries takes the audience to France and Britain where they use a universal health care system.

The cost of health care is extremely high and many families can’t afford it. Even if they can afford it they might not be covered by everything. The candidates in the presidential election are not finding a solution to this problem. They are merely trying to come up with remedies for the problem. But I believe that the problem is bigger than the candidates have bargained for.